Margaret Chase Smith

When Barbara A. Mikulski first stepped onto the Senate floor in 1987, she saw only one other female senator. They were required to wear skirts and were prohibited from using the male-only gym. But as the retiring Maryland Democrat prepares to relinquish the title of "dean of the Senate women," she leaves a political environment that is fundamentally changed — from access to the treadmills to the possibility that a woman could ascend to the presidency. The number of women serving in Congress has increased from 25 to 104 since 1987, and research indicates that female candidates now are just as likely to raise money, capture media attention and get elected as their male...

Related "Margaret Chase Smith" Articles

When Barbara A. Mikulski first stepped onto the Senate floor in 1987, she saw only one other female senator. They were required to wear skirts and were prohibited from using the male-only gym.
But as the retiring Maryland Democrat prepares to...